Best Sydney bars to go to after a gig

I was asked to write a feature for The Sydney Morning Herald on great bars to go to after a seeing a performance and choosing the bars was tough (PS the SMH’s standfirst – which for non-editors is the blurb above the first paragraph) should really state: “We review some cool bar options” rather than “small bar options” since not all the bars are small).

To start with, I just didn’t have enough room to list all the bars I wanted (it was primarily for the printed Metro section, where real estate is at a premium) so I had to make some tough calls based on proximity to the venues and what I thought Metro’s readers would prefer. For example, when it came to listing bars near the State Theatre I focused on Grandma’s and Grasshopper rather than Zeta Bar because I thought they were more suited to Metro.

The hardest choice I had to make was choosing LL Wine and Dine over Bootleg Bar for my Kings Cross venue. I actually like Bootleg a lot and it would have been suited for the feature – but I only had room to list one bar for that area.
There were other omissions (and possible contradictions) – for example, I didn’t list the Norfolk even though I listed Porteno’s Gardel’s Bar (they’re both near 505 and the Belvoir Street Theatre) due yet again to a lack of space, even though I can imagine many people arguing that maybe the Norfolk would have been better suited for the feature. However, as much as I like the Norfolk’s tacos and casual atmosphere, I just love Porteno’s rockabilly vibe and their cocktails.

Of course, you might disagree with me on some of my calls or know of other bars you’d have liked to have seen mentioned. If so, feel free to leave a comment below: